2016 Northumberland Plate

Here is our 2016 Northumberland Plate Betting Preview.

This year’s Northumberland Plate will be very different, as the race takes place on Newcastle’s brand-new Tapeta surface. Let’s take a look at some of the leading contenders…

Steve Rogers

Steve Rogers is receiving plenty of market-support, largely based on the 5-year-old’s victory in a Class 3 handicap at Kempton in April. However, Roger Varian’s inmate was hugely disappointing in the Chester Cup.

Dannyday

Sir Michael Stoute’s Dannyday has only had one outing, in 2016. That was in another Class 3 contest at Chelmsford and the Dansili colt certainly looked comfortable when seeing off Graceland by almost 4 lengths.

Nakeeta

Nakeeta fared much better than Steve Rogers, in the Chester Cup, finished 2nd to No Heretic and by just a short-head. This excellent performance comes after a brace of wins at Haydock, last September and the Sixties Icon gelding should be a major player.

Seamour

Seamour hasn’t achieved a great deal since landing the spoils in the rich Brown Jack Handicap, at Ascot last July. He was last seen at York, in the Listed Grand Cup (May), finishing very weakly and it’s hard to see him winning a race as good as this one.

Gang Warfare

Gang Warfare won 4 races on the bounce, before finishing 9th in the Chester Cup. He could have few excuses though and simply looked outclassed. Polarisation gave potential backers far more encouragement, when finishing 2nd behind Green Light at Epsom.

Best Of The Rest

Other horses that have been backed include My Reward, Moscato, Antiquarium, No Heretic, Nearly Caught, L Maitre Chat, Grumeti, Gabrial The Hero, Eshtiaal, Dawn Missile, Vayirli, Cardinal Walter, Arch Villain, Angel Gabrial, Saigon City, Poyle Thomas, Notarised, Gavlar, Albahar, Ballynanty, Sunblazer, Saved By The Bell and Masterpaver.

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More About The Northumberland Plate

The Northumberland Plate is a two mile flat handicap race for runners aged three years or more. This historic event was first held in 1833, when the winner of the race was a horse by the name of Tomboy. The first Northumberland Plate took place at the old Town Moor venue. It has also been held at nearby Killingworth, before the move to it’s current location.

The race used to be strictly held on Wednesdays, so as to coincide with a holiday for local mineworkers. For this reason, it was often referred to as the Pitman’s Derby. Shortly after the end of the Second World War, the holiday was phased out and the race was moved to a Saturday – the day on which it is still held. Brewers John Smiths sponsor the event and it is now one of the richest two mile handicap fixtures, anywhere.

The only horse to have won the Northumberland Plate on three occasions was a runner named Underhand. The victories came in 1857, 1858 and 1859. There are two jockeys with two wins. They are Willie Carson and Kevin Darley. Angel Gabrial won the race in 2014. George Chaloner was on-board the Richard Fahey-trained runner, who scored as a 4/1 favourite. Quest For More won in 2015.

The front-running hurdler, Overturn, won the Northumberland Plate in 2010. Out of a dam named Kristal Bridge and sired by Barathea (winner of the Irish 2,000 Guineas, the Queen Anne Stakes and the Breeders’ Cup Mile), Overturn was bred by Pendley Farm and owned by the Harris family.

Overturn has been a firm fans’ favourite, constantly providing gutsy pillar-to post-post performances and also winning the Scottish Champion Hurdle (2010), the Galway Hurdle (2010), the Chester Cup (2011), the Ascot Hurdle (2011) and the Fighting Fifth Hurdle (2011).

Most racing pundits would agree that the best horse to have won the Northumberland Plate in the last quarter of a century was a runner named Celeric. Celeric was one of Willie Carson’s two winners and was trained by David Morley.

He was out of a dam named Hot Spice and was sired by Mtoto, a winner of the Brigadier Gerard Stakes (1987), the Prince of Wales’s Stakes (1987, 1988), the Eclipse Stakes (1987, 1988), the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (1988) and the Select Stakes (1988).

Celeric was bred by Chieveley Manor Enterprises and was foaled in April of 1992. This British bay gelding also won the Lonsdale Stakes (1996, 1999), the Jockey Club Cup (1996), the Yorkshire Cup (1997), the Ascot Gold Cup (1997)and the Sagaro Stakes (1999). He was named European Champion Stayer in 1997.

Good luck, if you are having a bet in this year’s Northumberland Plate!